Bishop Desmond Tutu said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

As a major retailer of Samsung and LG products, you have the power to influence the S. Korean government to end the horrific cruelty that is perpetrated against innocent dogs and cats of South Korea.

Two and a half million South Korean dogs are electrocuted, hanged, or beaten to death each year. They are killed in the cruelest ways imaginable, because many South Koreans believe the insidious myth that the more an animal suffers, the tastier the meat and that the medical properties will be enhanced. Thousands of cats are also slaughtered for soups and so-called “health” tonics. They are thrown into boiling water while still alive.

The practice of eating dogs gained popularity after the Korean War but it continues to thrive today with the aid of greedy restaurateurs, meat dealers, and butchers. Over the last decade, many in South Korea have embraced the notion of dogs and cats as animal companions. But we must take action to persuade the South Korean government to legalize a ban on dog and cat meat and forever stop this technically illegal, corrupt, and sordid industry. It is appalling that dogs and cats should be kept in filthy crates, forced to watch their cage mates being tortured and slaughtered. Eyewitnesses have reported dogs being literally torn apart while still alive, their tormentors saying that the more prolonged the torment of death, the better the taste. This attitude toward any living being is at best unforgivable.

The world knows how important it is to stand up for the voiceless to show understanding and compassion to all our fellow men and living creatures. Doing the right thing earns respect and this in turn builds business. It is time for retail leaders such as you to do the right thing. Please respect your customers. Do not support a nation that supports and promotes oppression and unspeakable cruelty. Insist this practice ends now and until it does stop supporting their economy.